Unstoppable
by catherder
Summary: What might have happened if Max hadn't pissed away 10 hours of quality time with Logan by chasing a gossamer.
1. Default Chapter

UNSTOPPABLE

A/N: This was originally written in response to a fanfic challenge on a certain _Dark Angel board. Unfortunately, I was banned from that board because I posted a review of the board owner's fanfic that she didn't like. So, I am offering it to the readers here._

Part One

_If we had this night together  
If we had a moment to ourselves  
If we had this night together, then we'd be  
Unstoppable  
 _      -- The Calling, _Unstoppable___

Max left the lab tech, still confused by his pronouncements and their implications. Almost in a daze, she went back to her apartment, changed clothes, and applied a bit of makeup. If she was going to share the news with Logan, she wanted to be armed.

And hour or so later, butterflies still in her stomach, Max stood outside Logan's door. She glanced at her pager, which she had set as a stopwatch. It read 10:51:01. Almost hesitantly, she knocked. 

Logan opened the door, surprised to see her and especially surprised that she had knocked.

"Got a minute?" Max asked. 

Logan opened the door further and ushered her in silently. He noted that she held a bottle of wine, and had a strange expression on her face. They sat down in the living room. Max took off her coat, revealing an outfit that she would never have worn to work. It was Logan's turn to wear a strange expression.

"What did you want to talk about?" he said.

"Let me ask you a hypothetical question," Max began.

"Those are my favorite kind" Logan replied with a smile.

Max continued tentatively. "Supposing...just supposing...I found a temporary cure for the virus."

"Is there such a thing?" Now Logan was puzzled.

" That's where the supposing part comes in," Max explained.

Logan decided to play along, not sure where the conversation was heading. "Okay. Uh, hypothetically, how long would this temporary cure last?" 

Max checked her pager. "Ten hours and fifty minutes."

"You're serious." Logan could scarcely believe what he was hearing. But Max nodded. "So we can touch and nothing will happen?"

"I don't know about nothing, but you won't die," Max said in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.

Logan was overwhelmed. "Oh, my..." he sat back to think. "...Max..."

"We have to think about this. Because when it's over, it's over. No repeats." Now Max sounded discouraged.

"We'd be back where we started," Logan continued the thought.

"Exactly. Ten hours seems like a long time, but it isn't. Not really."

"It'll have to be long enough," Logan stated.

"I was hoping you'd say that," Max sounded relieved. "We've got ten hours."

"Evidently."

" We've been waiting for the right time. Here it is."

They both stood up. Logan slowly walked over to Max and held out his hand. She slowly took it, and they both smiled shyly. Logan stroked her face and leaned in to kiss her. She stopped him. 

" I don't...I can't believe I'm gonna go girly on you, but...I don't want to blow this on a quickie. It should be perfect." The rest of if was left unspoken.

Logan smiled down at her. "Perfect. How about a perfect quickie?"

Max laughed and handed him the bottle of wine. "Open this."

Logan went into the kitchen, followed by Max, to get his corkscrew. As he opened the bottle, Max seated herself at the counter on one of the stools.

"So, how did you manage to obtain this ah, temporary cure, Max?" Logan asked, a twinkle in his eye. He poured a glass of wine and handed it to Max, deliberately touching her hand, as if he were testing the cure. Then he poured himself a glass.

"Found a lab tech who promised me he could help, but he charged me an arm and a leg. So I pulled a caper with Alec. Remind me never to do _that_ again. We were stuck in a closet together." 

 Both of them sipped their wine, reveling inwardly that they could do such a simple thing together once more.

"So how long were you and Alec stuck in the closet?"

"About an hour. He was yapping the entire time." They both laughed.

"He's a yapper," Logan chucked. "Yeah, stuck in the closet with Alec--you're pretty much describing my worst nightmare."

Max looked at him intently. "It was worth it, though. It got me here."

They looked at each other. "It feels like old times," Logan said sincerely.

"Better," Max replied, clinking her glass against his.

*****

_Do you think that this is right, or is it really wrong  
I know that this is what we've been wanting  
And all this is burning in my soul, it fills up to my throat  
It fills up till my heart is breaking_

 Slow, sensual music played softly in the background.  Max and Logan danced slowly, holding each other close. They both were smiling. It was as if they were sharing a dream dance like long ago.

Finally, Logan spoke. "Max...there's something I've been wanting to tell you...for a long time."

"Yeah...me, too," Max admitted. She paused. "You first."

"Max, I— "

In a spectacular show of bad timing worthy of Zack himself, Joshua burst into Logan's penthouse and interrupted them. He was highly distraught and shouted, "Stop getting busy, please!"

Logan and Max abruptly stopped dancing and stared at him. 

"Joshua, what are you doing here?" Max queried, puzzled by the interruption.

"Gossamer," Joshua replied, as if that explained everything.

" What?"

" On the loose. He's hurting people." Joshua's explanations left something to be desired.

Logan said, "Gossamer. Okay. What is that, some kind of Manticore thing?"

Joshua nodded, his head bobbing up and down excitedly. "Max and Joshua have to stop him. That's the plan. So come." He reached for Max, but she pulled away.

" No! Joshua, not now! Can't this wait –" She checked Logan's watch. "– nine hours and twenty minutes?"

But Joshua shook his head and pulled on Max again. She resisted again.

"No! Now. Now." The dog-man was insistent.

Max protested. "Joshua, you don't understand –"

 "Now. Now." Joshua repeated it over and over. 

Logan stood there, watching the struggle between the two Manticore escapees. He finally shut off the music reluctantly. "Hey!"

Max and Joshua stopped tugging back and forth and looked at him.

He said to Max, resignedly, "Look. If this thing is hurting people, then..."

Max sighed. "Can my life suck any harder?"

Still unconvinced, or reluctant to be convinced, Max asked Joshua, "You're sure he's dangerous?"

Joshua shook his shaggy head with conviction. "Max, he's hurting people."

"Then we have to stop him," Max said with a sigh of resignation.

Logan added, with his usual practicality, "Well, first we gotta find him."

But Joshua had the answer to that. "He's in the sewers by my house."

"That makes sense," Logan said. "If it can't move in plain sight, it'd have to use the sewer system to move around."

Max scowled. "Doesn't exactly narrow things down."

Logan asked Joshua, "Where'd you catch up with it?"

Joshua was still agitated. "Little -- Little Debbies," he replied cryptically. Max translated, "Bakery. Sector five." It was the nearest bakery to Joshua's place.

"Well, our best bet's probably to start there and backtrack towards Joshua's place," Logan suggested.

"That's a lot of ground to cover," Max said, her lack of enthusiasm still in evidence. 

But Joshua was eager to get started on the search. "Max and Joshua can cover ground." 

Max shook her head. "No."

"Oh, yeah." Joshua was determined to help, despite the obvious danger.

*****

An argument ensued, with Max steadfastly telling him that he couldn't go, and Joshua equally determined to accompany her. " No! I can't chase this thing down and worry about you, too! You know it's not safe for you out there."

Joshua growled a sigh and sat in the corner to thumb through Logan's books. It looked for all the world like he was sulking. 

"Should I ask for Alec's help?" Max asked, then her eyes lit up as if she had a brilliant idea. 

"Logan replied, "That's an idea. I'll talk to Matt Sung, see if there's any other reports about this thing. Maybe I can figure out its M.O."

Max checked Logan's watch and murmured, "We've only got eight hours and fifty-three minutes. I've got an idea." She picked up Logan's cell phone and punched in a sequence of numbers. "Speaking of Alec…" she said cryptically, her eyebrows raised almost to her hairline. She walked away from Logan and Joshua.

A voice on the other end of the line answered, "Hey."

"Hey, Alec, Max here. I need a favor."

"Max, I'm in the middle of something here! Can't it wait?"

"No, it can't! Put your clothes back on," she commanded. Logan looked at her with a quizzical expression on his face.

"Max, how…Never mind." There was a deep sigh from Alec. "What's up?"

"Alec, there's a gossamer loose. Apparently it's hurting people."

"And I should care about this why?"

"Because I'm at Logan's and Joshua's here all upset about it. He wants me to help him track it down."

"Sounds like a plan to me," came the flip reply.

"Alec, LISTEN TO ME!" Max practically shouted over the phone. "I'm at Logan's …remember?"

"Oh, right. Good old Logan."

"And I intend to STAY at Logan's. Ya got the picture?" 

"I'm beginning to…" Alec replied. 

"Alec, I cut you in on a good deal yesterday. You know that. You also know that that you owe me – and Logan – big time. I could have let that thingy in your neck explode and kill you. But I didn't. I spent the money that was supposed to go for a cure for this damn virus to keep your miserable ass alive. You owe me."

"Well, Asha's passed out on my couch…"

"Good. Then she's not going anywhere soon. You can do this for me and still be there to greet her when she wakes up. Besides, you were at Manticore longer than I was. You know more about the gossamer than I do," she said, bringing up a touchy subject.

"Max…" Alec continued to protest.

Max's voice got dangerously soft. "Alec, you're always complaining about me and Logan NOT getting it on and saying that's why I'm so cranky. This is your opportunity to fix that. We have a little less than nine hours left. Do you want to hear me whine for the rest of your life, or do you want to help me do something about the situation?"

There was silence on the other end for a few minutes, and Max could almost hear the gears in Alec's brain turn. Finally, he spoke. "OK, I'll do it. I'll be over in fifteen minutes and pick up Joshua. We'll track down the gossamer for you. But you have to do your part."

"And what would that be?" Max asked.

"You _gotta_ trim Logan's horns. I'm not gonna be able to stand being around either one of you if that doesn't happen."

"Well, Alec, I'll do _my_ best if _you_ do yours. Deal?"

"Deal." Alec hung up.

Max returned to Logan and Joshua. "He'll be over in fifteen minutes, Joshua. He'll help you track down the gossamer. It'll be okay, Big Fella."

"Thanks, Little Fella." Joshua plopped down on the couch to wait for Alec. 

*****

As promised, Alec rang the doorbell to the penthouse fifteen minutes later. When Logan opened the door, Alec stood there, scowling. 

"Come in, Alec," Logan said, motioning him into the hallway. 

"You ready to go, Joshua?" Alec asked by way of greeting.

"Ready, Alec," Joshua replied as he got up from the couch. 

"Here are printouts of the sewers and subway tunnels near Joshua's. You may need these," Logan said, offering Alec a handful of papers.

"Uh, thanks, Logan," Alec muttered at the unexpected assistance.

"It's the least I can do."

Alec, papers in hand, ushered Joshua out the door. "This better be worth it," he said to Max, as he turned in the doorway. "Have fun, people."

"Thanks." Max closed and locked the front door. "Now, where were we?"

*****

  


_  
  
_


	2. Unstoppable, Part Two

**UNSTOPPABLE**

**Part Two**

  
_Now, we can both learn  
Somehow, you'll see it's all we have  
Love, it keeps us together  
and I need love_

"I think we were about...here," Logan said, putting his arms around Max and pulling her close to him. Although the soft music had stopped playing, he led her in a slow dance. She leaned against his chest and closed her eyes. 

"Mmmm. This feels so good," she murmured. "Something I've dreamed about."

"Yeah, me too," Logan agreed. "I apologize for not being a better dancer. It's hard to tell whether I'm stepping on your feet when I can't feel my own."

"It's fine, Logan." Max raised her head and looked at him. "You're a wonderful dancer. But we should have music."

In response, Logan broke off his embrace and walked over to the stereo system. He selected a stack of slow, sensual CDs and put them on to play. 

"That better?" he said, putting his arms around Max again.

"Much."

They danced together for some time, although neither of them moved much. They clung to one another and swayed to the music. Max had never felt so protected in her life, held tightly in Logan's arms. Logan's heart leapt every time Max snuggled closer to him. Time seemed to stand still for a while.

"Are you hungry?" Logan finally asked. 

"I could eat something," Max replied ambiguously.

"Shall I whip up some dinner? It won't take long."

"It better not. We haven't got all night," Max teased.

"Um, actually, we do. Let's make the most of it," Logan replied as he headed for the kitchen. Max followed him and sat down on one of the high stools at the prep table. Logan began to pull ingredients from cabinets and the refrigerator. Within fifteen minutes, he had chicken breasts in the oven, and a sauce bubbling on the stove. He peeled and diced a couple of potatoes, threw them in a pot with water, and put them on the burner to boil. Finally, he set aside a small head of broccoli to steam later.

"Now, while all of that is cooking, we can get back to the important stuff," he said, motioning to Max to join him in the living room again. Once more, he took her in his arms and led her in a slow dance. This was what he had fantasized about that seemingly distant anniversary night; what a long interruption they had experienced between the first embrace and the first slow dance.

Every now and then, Logan broke the embrace and checked on dinner. The second CD had just begun when he announced that it was nearly ready. He quickly swept his Eyes Only files off the dining room table onto a chair, and set the table for two. He lit more candles, poured two glasses of his best white wine, and gently led Max to the table. He pulled out her chair and seated her. Then he served dinner and sat down himself.

They clinked glasses, tasted the wine, and began to eat.

"Mmmm, this is so good," Max declared, smiling over her plate.

"Just your average Cale culinary miracle." Logan laughed.

They ate in near-silence, savoring the meal and each other's company. The food, the wine, the music, the candles – it was all perfect. There was a feeling of serenity, something neither had experienced for many months, to the whole scene. They sipped the wine, gazing into each other's eyes. They smiled a lot.

Too soon, dinner was over and Logan cleared the table. He took the bottle of wine and the glasses into the living room and put them on the coffee table. Sitting down on the couch, he beckoned Max to join him. She curled up next to him and put her head on his shoulder. Logan ran his fingers through her hair. Then his hand moved down to stroke her cheek. He turned slightly toward her and brought her face up to his lips. He kissed her lips, then her throat. Max moaned and leaned into him. She edged closer and kissed Logan. 

In an instant, they were in an embrace, kissing each other passionately. Their hands moved, Max's to Logan's hair, further tousling his already messy locks, Logan's to Max's breasts, cupping them tenderly. They remained entangled, kissing and caressing, for what seemed like hours. Max's top was tossed onto the floor; Logan's sweater joined it in a heap. Max knelt on the couch, one knee on either side of Logan, her butt in his lap, kissing him so deeply that he could barely breathe. Finally, she came up for air and said, "Ya know, we should take this somewhere more comfortable, like your bedroom."

Logan caught his breath. "You said you didn't want a quickie."

"This is _not_ a quickie. This is a seduction." She narrowed her eyes and smiled at him, catlike. "Come on." She took his hand and pulled him up from the couch. "It's time."

*****

_Come and lay right on my bed, sit and drink some wine._

_I'll try not to make you cry._

_And if you'd get inside my head, then you'd understand_

_Then you'd understand me._

_Why I've felt so alone, why I kept myself from love_

_And you became my favorite drug._

_So let me take you right now and swallow you down._

_I need you inside._

  
  


Humming huskily, Max carried the candles into Logan's bedroom. She set them on the nightstand, then went back into the living room for more. In a few minutes, she had the room glowing softly with a golden light. Logan brought the wine and the glasses, which he also set on the nightstand. Soft music still played in the other room, further enhancing the magical mood. 

"Shall I take off my slacks, or do you want to do the honors?" she said playfully to Logan, who was sitting on the bed. He looked up at her and sighed, then put his head in his hands. "Logan, what's wrong?" 

"Gotta take off the exoskeleton. A real mood-breaker, I'm afraid," he replied apologetically. 

Max looked at him quizzically.

"Kind of screws up the spontaneity too." Logan smiled sadly.

"Jeez, Logan! We've _finally_ gotten to this point. I am _not_ going to let you feel sorry for yourself now! Do you know how long I've waited for this?" 

"About as long as I have," Logan admitted.

"Maybe longer. And I am not gonna let you mess it up, especially now when we've only got –" she looked at her watch " – seven hours left. Come on, let me help you get out of it. I haven't de-pantsed a guy in a long time."

Logan laughed, then said, "Sure, why not? I haven't had a beautiful woman take my pants off in a long time, either." The corners of his eyes crinkled and the ends of his mouth twitched.

He undid his jeans and propped himself up on the bed with his hands while Max pulled them off. Reaching behind him, he switched off the exoskeleton. Max helped him with the buckles and straps. When he had struggled out of it, she carried it into the hallway and propped it against the wall.  "Well, that's taken care of," she said as she returned. Logan still sat on the edge of the bed. He reached out and grabbed her around the waist. "I think I'll do the honors," he said as he unzipped her slacks. 

Max giggled girlishly as Logan helped her out of her pants. In a minute, she stood before him, clad only in a pair of black lace panties and bra. Logan stared at her in awe. 

"Earth to Logan?" she said, as he continued to stare.

"Oh, sorry." Logan took her hand and pulled her onto the bed to sit next to him. She turned to him and they kissed tenderly. The kisses got deeper and more passionate until they consumed one another. Logan reached around behind Max and undid her bra. She wriggled out of it and tossed it on the floor. Logan kissed her breasts, breathing in her scent. Max nibbled his ear, then thrust her tongue into it.

"Maybe we should, uh, lie down?" he suggested. 

"Good idea," Max agreed. They broke away from each other and Logan pulled himself further onto the bed, dragging his legs. He pushed himself up toward the headboard, positioning his legs on the bed. Max snuggled next to him, wrapping her legs over and under his. They resumed kissing and caressing, Max nuzzling Logan's chest, Logan running his fingers through her hair. 

Gently, he brought her head back up and buried his face in her throat, kissing her hungrily. His mouth followed the curves of her throat upward until it reached her lips. He drank deeply. Then he cupped her breasts in his hands and circled her nipples with his tongue.  

Max ran her hands over Logan's body, tracing patterns on his chest and back. He moaned in approval. She encountered the surgical scars on his back and abdomen, and surmised correctly that below them he had little or no sensation. All of a sudden, she had no idea of how to proceed. She was honest when she had said that the chair made no difference to her – Logan was Logan, sitting or standing. But now that they were in bed together, she wasn't sure what came next.

Logan, sensing her hesitation, reluctantly pulled himself away from her breasts and looked at her. "Max? What's wrong?"

Max looked at him, a miserable expression on her face. "I – I don't know what to do, Logan. How do I – ?"

Logan snorted a sad laugh. "Max, I don't know either. I've read all the literature, and I've had all the lectures from Sam and Bling, but I haven't exactly had the chance to test the theories." He looked embarrassed.

"Guess we'll just have to make it up as we go along," Max said. "I'm game if you are."

"Yeah, guess I've got no choice."

Max tried to find the place that would excite him, his center of arousal. She had read the literature too, but up till now, it also had been theoretical for her. At least it would be pleasurable for Logan while she explored. 

Logan, trying to overcome his embarrassment, began to relax as Max's hands explored his body. He held her tightly for a few minutes, thankful for her wonderful understanding and tolerance. He ran his fingers through her hair again, stroking it gently, continuing the motion down her body. He felt her back arch beneath his hands and smiled to himself.  He ran a hand down her slender leg, then up the inside of it. Max shivered.

Max heard a sharp intake of breath when she touched a certain spot on Logan's chest, just below his left nipple. Encouraged, she applied her tongue to it and Logan inhaled sharply again. She continued her ministrations and was satisfied with the results. She shifted her legs to straddle Logan and keep working the spot. His body responded in ways neither of them thought possible anymore.

*****

Once the experimentation was out of the way, Max and Logan settled into an unhurried but passionate lovemaking. Max knew that she had to be the more active partner, but she was prepared for that. The fact that she had waited for so long, had paid such a high price, and had only a limited amount of time for the privilege of making love with Logan, made the experience more intense.  She was determined to make the most of it. If she never had the chance again, she would deal with it.

Logan felt different sensations in different places now, but also found that he could still pleasure a woman and receive pleasure in return. This new kind of lovemaking was almost voyeuristic because it involved both watching and letting his imagination run wild, but he felt he could get used to it – with practice. Unfortunately, he knew he wouldn't get the opportunity again unless miracles really did occur, so he was determined to make the most of this one. He had the woman of his dreams in his bed at last, and if this were the only time he would have that, he would deal with it.

*****

They made love until they were both exhausted, then fell into a contented sleep. Sometime in the very early morning, Max's pager alarm went off, indicating that she had only ten minutes before the inoculation wore off.  Silently, she crawled out of bed and found her clothes. She got dressed and returned to the bedroom, where Logan still slept. She brought the wheelchair up to the bed and locked the brakes on it. Max whispered in his ear, "I love you, Logan," and kissed him on the cheek. Then she tiptoed out of his apartment with tears in her eyes.

Max got on her motorcycle and drove toward the Space Needle. On her way, she phoned Alec to see if the gossamer had been taken care of. Assured that all was in order, she continued to the boarded-up landmark. She parked her bike and climbed up to the top of the tower. As the dawn broke, she sat on the edge, knees pulled up, arms wrapped around her legs. Assaulted by a variety of emotions, she wept. 

*****

_When I wake up without you, knowing you're not there  
I'm only feeling half as good  
Well I'm gonna find a way  
To wrap you in my arms, you make me feel alive  
  
_

Logan awoke just after dawn and rolled over, expecting to find Max next to him. But her side of the bed was cold, and it was obvious to him that she had been gone for a while. He noticed that she had set the wheelchair by the bed so he could get to it; he smiled sadly at her consideration. He looked at the clock and realized that the duration of the temporary cure had expired. 

He pulled himself out of bed, transferred into the chair, and grabbed a robe from the closet. He wheeled into the kitchen and started the coffeemaker. While it perked, he rolled over to the windows in the living room. It had begun to rain, echoing his emotions. He stared out the window and whispered to himself, "I love you, Max. We're gonna find a way to beat this. I swear."  Then he spun the chair around and went back into the kitchen for a cup of coffee.

_If we had this night together  
If we had a moment to ourselves  
If we had this night together, then we'd be  
Unstoppable_

**END**

* * *


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